The Tallow Skincare Revolution:

Using beef tallow for skin hydration is a tale as old as time—our ancestors knew the skin-loving properties of this versatile kitchen staple. However, it seems #SkinTok is finally just catching wind, hailing beef tallow as a "miracle ingredient", with influencers like Hannah Bronfman "no longer gatekeeping" its benefits. Skeptics shudder at the idea of slathering rendered beef fat on their faces to achieve that coveted glass skin, yet will reach for their store-bought, chemical-ridden skincare products without a second thought.

 

Why are we, as a society, so trusting of the corporations selling us products? How do we know these products are actually good for us before we slather them on our most porous organ? Here’s a mind-boggling fact: The most recent US legislation regulating the health risks of consumer products was passed before WWII. Since then, over 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been introduced into the market, yet only five percent of those chemicals have been tested for safety. We don’t know if most of them are toxic. What’s worse is that the synthetic chemicals we do know to be pre-carcinogenic (cancer-causing) are still used in thousands of products on the market today.

 

Not all chemicals are harmful to humans. But with the ingredients list on our staple products reading like a biochem textbook, how would the average consumer be able to distinguish the harmless chemicals from the toxic ones? For this reason, we ride for beef tallow skin care. Not only is it a tried-and-true method for deeply hydrating the skin; high-quality beef tallow boasts incredible health benefits that far outweigh anything a cosmetics lab could produce. This goes far beyond a trend — using beef tallow skin care is taking a stand for your health.

 

What is tallow and why should I put it on my skin?

Beef tallow is a nourishing animal byproduct that is made of rendered cow fat. In cosmetics, beef tallow is rendered (heated and strained) multiple times to remove all impurities. The pure tallow that remains solidifies into a butter-like, shelf-stable product that can be used in cooking and preserving food, making body lotions, soaps, salves, and so much more. Not only is this ingredient versatile and nutrient-packed—it’s also a beacon of sustainability, as it utilizes an otherwise discarded part of the cow.

 

The benefits of tallow for skin are far too many to list, but here's a start:

Tallow has been used to treat skin ailments for centuries. Before the days of buying lotion and soap at the grocery store, our ancestors rendered beef tallow not only for culinary use, but also to treat dry, irritated skin—even for dressing wounds.

 

Nutritional benefits of beef tallow skin care

Packed with vitamins A, D, E, and K, beef tallow naturally aids in many necessary body functions, which also happen to make your skin very happy.

 

Tallow supports immune function by boosting white blood cell production, clearing bacteria from the bloodstream. Palmitoleic acid, also found in tallow, has antimicrobial properties that help your body fight infections, and can help prevent your skin from severe damage. Our predecessors knew this, as tallow was used for dressing wounds and treating burns.

 

Skin naturally soaks up beef tallow and becomes radiant with regular use. High-quality tallow promotes cellular growth, cellular repair, and skin regeneration — perfect for treating scars. Vitamin E found in tallow is known to protect skin cells from damaging UV light and reduce existing damage, as well as preventing collagen loss — all aiding in the prevention of fine lines and reversing sun damage.  Beef tallow also contains antioxidant properties, protecting the cells from free-radicals which are linked to premature aging and chronic disease. Beyond soothing skin irritation symptoms, the use of tallow can prevent skin conditions altogether. 

 

Tallow is Natural and Holistic

In our modern world, we are inundated with chemicals at every turn, from our food to our cleaning products, and even the fibers our household items are made of. It’s overwhelming to even think about — consider for a moment how our bodies feel! Detoxing and filtering out the toxins is a full-time job for our immune systems and organs.

If reducing chronic inflammation is a priority, then reducing chemical intake goes hand-in-hand. Why use potentially-toxic, lab-made chemicals and preservatives to mimic the effects that beef tallow has naturally on the skin? We urge you to move away from blindly trusting mass-produced liquid soaps that are loaded with chemicals. Switching to tallow skin care is a safe and easy way to reduce your consumption from several dozen possibly toxic ingredients to just a few holistic ones. 

Tallow skincare is incredibly moisturizing

The best part? Unlike many “clean beauty” products that lack efficacy, tallow skin care actually works! It’s historically been used as a moisturizer, thanks to the high fat content present in beef tallow. After all, it’s made exclusively from beef fat. Tallow can be applied directly to the skin to soothe dryness and prevent the loss of moisture, as it has been for centuries.

 

The fatty acids in beef tallow create a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, acting as a natural shield against environmental stressors like harsh weather conditions and pollutants—perfect for the Oregon Trail AND today’s modern world. Oleic acid, in particular, makes up 47% of the fatty acid composition of beef tallow, and is a dream ingredient for dry or aging skin, as it easily and deeply penetrates the skin's surface. Inside the dermis, it replenishes lost moisture and stops additional transepidermal water loss. Oleic acid can also restore the skin’s natural oil production, preventing future breakouts. Most importantly, it forms a protective layer on the skin's surface that prevents environmental damage without clogging pores.

 

Using beef tallow in skin care replaces the need for harsh chemical additives found in most commercial body washes and shampoos. This is ideal for individuals with sensitive skin or allergies, as using products with fewer synthetic ingredients may reduce skin irritation. Anecdotally, many customers who have made the switch to O’Naturelle tallow soap bars report a significant alleviation from eczema conditions. This could be due to its naturally emollient properties, which soothe and hydrate the skin by retaining both oil and water in the skin.

Tallow mirrors the skin's natural oils 

With its natural moisturizing properties, beef tallow hydrates the skin without stripping away the naturally occurring oils, which hydrate and protect our largest organ. Tallow-based soaps can provide gentle cleansing without disrupting the skin’s natural pH balance. Why? The chemical makeup of beef tallow closely resembles our natural oil produced by the glands in our skin, aka sebum— so much that the literal translation of the word tallow in Latin is "sebum." This chemical composition is much closer to our own human makeup than commonly found plant-derived hydration agents such as olive oil or jojoba oil. Therefore, tallow is more easily and effectively absorbed into the deep layers of the dermis.

Tallow naturally supports the skin’s protective barrier, sealing in hydration and providing a bacteria-fighting boost. We champion using beef tallow for skin, as it’s a natural, heritage ingredient made all the more alluring in today’s chemical-ridden world.

 

Potential cons of tallow for skin  

Are you sold on the benefits of using tallow for skin? We certainly are, although there are some reasons consumers may choose to steer clear of this ingredient. 
 

Tallow isn’t exactly vegan-friendly

Ok so tallow isn’t even vegetarian. In fact, tallow is 100% animal-based, as it’s made purely of rendered beef fat. This won’t gel with our vegetarian/vegan readers at face-value. However, before you turn your nose up at this product, consider that it’s strongly rooted in sustainability. Beef fat is more often than not a discarded part of cattle, thrown away by butchers. The process of rendering beef fat into tallow ensures that this otherwise wasted cattle part is used, beloved and cherished as a household cosmetics product, as well as a culinary staple.

 

Not all tallow is created equal

When sourcing beef tallow, it’s ultra-important to find high-quality tallow. Studies by the National Library of Medicine have shown fatty tissues (the main ingredient in beef tallow) store environmental pollutants. If you use low-quality tallow in your skincare, you’re ingesting the toxins these cattle were exposed to, including antibiotics, steroids, and pesticides. Not to mention the positively foul farm conditions that are a reality for low-quality cattle. No thank you! Plus, fat from grain-fed animals actually contains inflammatory properties, negating all the benefits discussed earlier.

Whenever possible, seek tallow derived from grass-fed, pasture-raised, antibiotic-free, ethically-raised, organic beef to ensure you’re getting the most out of nature’s cure-all ingredient. 

Will beef tallow clog my pores?

Beef tallow is non-comedogenic and can actually help keep pores clear and improve skin health, especially for those with acne-prone or sensitive skin. If you have acne-prone skin, don’t be discouraged by tallow skin care products, as tallow can help enhance natural oil production while preventing clogged pores from forming. See above for all the anti-inflammatory elements naturally present in beef tallow!

 

Toxins and synthetic ingredients found in most modern skincare products 

It’s no secret that we have historically high rates of cancer, autoimmune disease and chronic inflammation present in the global population. It’s also no secret that governing bodies like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) work hand-in-hand with profit-driven industry titans, shilling everything from beauty products to cleaning supplies — everyday household products that are loaded with harsh toxins. They also have the final say in approving drugs made by Big Pharma, which is also an infamously profit-driven industry (rather than wellness-driven, as many believe it is and should be). 

As mentioned before, of the 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been introduced into the consumer market since WWII, only five percent have been tested for safety. We don’t know if most of these household ingredients are toxic—and the ones that are known to be cancer-causing are still used in thousands of products on the market today! Thanks for nothing, FDA. Many view governmental regulation as a constitutional infraction, believing that we should have the freedom to choose the products we use—even if those products are toxic (i.e. cigarettes).

In the case of cosmetics, there seems to be a gap in education when it comes to harmful ingredients. The consumer must educate oneself on the harmful ingredients that pervade our beauty products, rather than blindly trusting that the corporations selling these products have our health and best interest in mind. Here’s a few places to get started:

Two sneaky chemical loopholes present in most cosmetics

Now that we’ve established that the FDA, big pharma and the cosmetics industry can and will sneak both potential harmful and 100% certified toxic ingredients into our beloved products just to drive profit, let’s educate ourselves on how that’s hidden in plain sight.

If you don’t already know, the order in which ingredients are listed on packaging (for both food and cosmetics) indicates the volume present. If it’s listed first, it’s the main ingredient. If listed last, that ingredient makes up the smallest percentage of the product. 

In cosmetics, many products list “water” or “aqua” as the first ingredient—aka the main ingredient. You’ll also find “fragrance” listed as an ingredient on most cosmetics. What most people don’t realize is that these so-called ingredients are actually loopholes that hide tons of chemicals these companies are not disclosing. “Behind the word fragrance, there’s upwards of 100 ingredients not listed,” warns Gregg Renfrew, founder and CEO of Beautycounter (a clean skincare line that lists over 1,500 banned ingredients the line never uses) . “Companies are required to list ingredients, but not fragrance—and fragrance has many of the worst offenders in there.” Both “fragrance” and “water” or “aqua” are just placeholders for potentially hundreds of undisclosed chemicals present in your skincare products. 

 

If it foams, think twice. 

Look out for propylene glycol and butylene glycol, two ingredients added to products for the sole purpose of making them foam. The worst part? The same detergents are used in car washes and engine degreasers. They can cause anything from severe drying to full-on skin irritation, so why mess with these toxic skincare ingredients at all?

 

Go sulfate-free for a reason.

It’s more common to find “sulfate-free” labels on shampoos nowadays, and with good reason. Sulfates are only added to shampoos and soaps to create lather, but they’re actually stripping the hair and skin of natural oils. It’ll be listed on your shampoo as Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. While Sulfate isn’t a known carcinogen, it is a proven skin irritant. Who wants that in their liquid hand soap, body wash or shampoo?

Check out this article to learn more about toxic chemicals hiding in our everyday skincare products.

 

How does beef tallow compare to other types of skincare products?

Tallow is proven to be a natural, holistic, single-ingredient skincare solution. By comparison to the chemical-packed cosmetics that flood the shelves of beauty aisles around the world, beef tallow skin care products are significantly healthier, more natural, more nourishing, and don’t contain a laundry-list of added chemicals. Here’s how tallow skin care stacks up against some common ingredients found in cosmetics.

 

Tallow vs. Mineral Oil

Mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline—and is one of the main ingredients used in skincare today. It is primarily used as an occlusive agent, forming a barrier on the skin's surface to lock in moisture. While said to be non-comedogenic (aka doesn’t clog pores), mineral oil can trap in sweat and dead skin cells, causing breakouts. It is used in a variety of products including lotions, creams, ointments, and even in hair care products for its smoothing and conditioning properties. 

Mineral oil is often alternatively listed as: petrolatum, paraffin, petrolatum jelly, paraffin oil, liquid paraffin, paraffinum liquidum (Latin), liquid petroleum, ozokerite, ceresin, polyisobutylene, synthetic wax, cera microcristallina, hydrogenated polyisobutene, methylsilanol, isododecane, isohexadecane, or silicone quaternium. See why this gets so confusing? Almost as if on purpose…

Despite being prohibited in food products, mineral oil is commonly found in beauty products. When mineral oils are the main ingredient in lip balms, this suspected carcinogenic ingredient is involuntarily ingested. The health implications are many, and serious. Today, mineral oil is the main ingredient found in the 5 most common lip balms: ChapStick, Vaseline, Carmex, Blistex, and Aquaphor Healing Ointment.  

Mineral oil is criticized for being a petroleum derivative, and many prefer to avoid petroleum-based products for environmental and health reasons. After all, your skin is a porous organ that absorbs whatever is put on the surface. Nonetheless, mineral oil remains a popular choice in the skincare industry due to its effectiveness, both in results and in cost.

Beef tallow is just as effective in retaining the skin’s moisture as mineral oil, if not even better. It is all-natural, holistic, and can be ethically and safely sourced. It’s natural, vitamin-packed, and chemically very similar to the makeup of human cells. Ingestion of tallow is encouraged, as it makes for an excellent vegetable oil cooking replacement. Absorption into the human body, whether through the skin or the mouth, is beyond benign — it actually has a myriad of health benefits, as it is a nutrient-packed superfood. 

Education is power, people. 

 

Tallow vs. Parabens

Parabens are commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics and skincare products, as they extend the shelf-life of a product. Having been used in the world of cosmetics since 1920, parabens have been recognized as major endocrine disruptors, with links to reproductive disorders, breast cancer, and skin cancer. Currently, the European Union has banned five types of parabens from cosmetic products due to safety concerns. The FDA says they’re fine for cosmetics use, though. That’s suspicious.

Parabens are commonly hidden in the ingredients as: methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, and ethylparaben.

It’s worth noting that parabens raise significant environmental concerns. These substances can enter the environment through wastewater and have been detected in surface waters, where they might affect wildlife, particularly in aquatic ecosystems.

Tallow, on the other hand, requires no preservatives! And boasts a shelf-life of up to 2 years when stored outside the fridge in an airtight container! Plus, it’s a naturally occurring ingredient, and therefore presents no environmental risks. In fact, it’s a sustainable product contributing to a waste-free ecosystem, using the fat of the cow that often gets discarded by butchers.

 

Where to Find Tallow for Skin Care

Now that the veil has been lifted on the toxins hiding in standard skincare products, we hope you’re more prone to reach for beef tallow skin care products instead! Here’s a few we fully endorse, and your skin will love.

Tallow skin care brands we fully trust:

When it comes to choosing your products, always look past the branding and go straight to the ingredients list. If it’s full of chemicals you can’t decipher, or lists dozens of ingredients, think twice about purchasing! With tallow skin care products, simplicity is key. Here’s 3 great brands that sell tallow-based skincare products worldwide:

1. The Van Man: The Tallow & Honey Balm is a rich and nourishing cure-all with a host of applications including dry skin, sunburn, tattoo healing and more. The best part? It’s made from just a few familiar ingredients: grass-fed tallow, honey, beeswax, royal jelly, olive oil, and essential oils. Plus, it comes in two variations—made with beef tallow and bison tallow.
   
   
2. The Tallowed Truth: The Premium Tallow Peppermint Lip Balm is the mineral-oil-free lip balm you need! Made with grass-fed, grass-finished tallow, organic olive oil, Ontario honey and beeswax, and peppermint essential oil.
   
   
3. O’Naturelle: Shop a variety of grass-fed and finished tallow skin care products, from soap and shampoo to premium rendered beef tallow (wagyu tallow coming soon!). We source only the highest quality, natural ingredients to create our products. Our grass-fed tallow soap bars have a rich lather, come in a variety of essential oil-based scents, and leave the skin nourished and quenched.
   
   

Make your own! 

You can make your own tallow moisturizer by buying your own grass fed beef tallow and adding jojoba oil. Or you can take it a step further and read our guide on how to render your own tallow, if you’re really getting into the ancestral recipe vibe. By connecting with our products and knowing the source, we reclaim autonomy and power in our personal choices, rather than blindly using mass-produced products that are slowly poisoning us.

 

Final thoughts about tallow for skin care

This is about more than cosmetics—it’s a quiet revolution. When you choose to buy tallow-based skincare, you choose your health over the lies sold by mass corporations that care more about profit than people. Plus, the best part is that these tallow-based products are an absolute game-changer for your skin. Don’t be surprised if switching to a few tallow skin care products kicks open the door to a full-on cosmetics detox. Your health is too important to keep accepting the status quo! Take matters into your own hands, and see for yourself the difference good-for-you products actually make.